The Look on Her Face
by LaynieCakes
Summary: A 10year quest. Even more challenging than S-Class quests. Erza Scarlet is taking her first one, but not alone. No, Gray Fullbuster, the boy that she's been acting so oddly around lately, is coming with her. How will this mission go? And how is Gray's childhood connected? UPDATE: Chapter 4 ending rewritten!
1. The 10year quest

**Me: Hello peoples of the interwebs! Here's another GrayZa fanfic for ya. It's the longest chapter I've ever written so I'm excited! The other ones probably won't be this long though...*sad face***

**Happy: Typical Laynie, you're becoming a slacker. You don't wanna be fat like Lucy do you?**

**Lucy: What did you say?**

**Happy: Nothing. *Hides behind me***

**Me: It's okay Happy, I'll protect you from scary Lucy! *Hugglez Happy***

**Happy: A-Aye *Hugglez back, terrified of the scary Lucy***

**Lucy: I'm not scary!**

**Charle: You people are so immature...*rolls eyes***

**Me: Don't you wanna do the disclaimer Charle? *gives puppy dog eyes***

**Charle: Tch, no.**

**Wendy: *sigh* LaynieCakes doesn't own Fairy Tail or it's characters. **

Year: X792

It's just a normal day at Fairy Tail. Cana was drinking, Natsu and Gray were fighting, Mira was smiling, Happy was drooling over Charle, Juvia was drooling over Gray, and Lucy and Wendy were watching it all.

But one person is out of place on this day. Erza Scarlet. She's not breaking up the fight between Natsu and Gray, or talking to Lucy and Wendy, or even by the request board! No, Erza Scarlet was in the office of Makarov Dreyar, talking about a special mission.

"I want you to take this job." Master Makarov handed her the paper. She read it from top to bottom. "Now don't think it will be easy! Even though you just have to catch one person, this is a _10year _quest. He won't be easy to catch." Master Makarov pointed out.

"Understood." Erza said. She was in the midst of getting up when she was interrupted. "I want someone to go with you. This is your first 10year quest so I figure you should have some help. Is that alright?" Erza flinched; she didn't see why she needed to be accompanied-she_ had_ improved as a wizard greatly in the past year- but Master's orders…

"Whatever you suggest Master." She answered. She wanted to do whatever the Master thought was necessary. "Do you have in mind who should accompany me?" Erza asked. Realizing that that was a _big _mistake, Erza mentally face palmed. Master Makarov grinned, Erza didn't trust that grin. It like to Mira's match-making grin. Erza sweat-dropped.

"Well I was thinking that Gray could go with you. I think Gray would be a very good match for this job." Master finished, trying to make it sound reasonable.

Erza knew he would say something like that. But why did it have to be him? Missions alone with him always turned out, odd. So she stepped outside of his office, broke up Natsu and Gray's fight, grabbed Gray, and went back into his office.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Gray yelled. Erza gave him her _'What?'_ look. "YOU DRAGGED ME BY MY HAIR, THAT'S WHAT!" Gray yelled yet again. Erza rolled her eyes, and then looked at Master Makarov.

"Well, I brought him here." Erza stated "I didn't ask you to, but thank you." Master said. He turned towards Gray "I want you to go on this job with Erza." He gestured towards Erza, she handed Gray the paper.

Gray's eyes got wide; he saw that it was a _10year_ quest. He looked back to Erza, who know seemed to have calmed down. She made her _'It's what Master wants…'_ face. Gray looked back to Master. "If it's what you want, then sure Gramps." Master smiled. "It's decided then." Master said getting off from his chair that had many phone books on it. "Mira, call the owner of this request!" Master said, walking towards the door to Mira.

"Of course Master." Mira said with her trademark smile. She saw that is was Gray and Erza that were going on the job, together, alone. Mira had a mental fangasm. She then leaned over to Cana and whispered, "Look who'd going on the 10year quest with Erza." Cana looked over and smirked saying, "I give em' a month tops." Mira giggled then went to look up the records of the request.

"So….we have to catch someone." Gray said trying to make conversation. He didn't want this job to be awkward, though that seemed impossible at this point. Erza didn't seem very happy with how things turned out. He had been on a job alone with Erza before, it was very….awkward. And this was a _10year_ quest! Awkward situations just _loved_ finding him. Oh Mavis, what on Earthland was he getting into?

"Yeah…" Erza answered, looking distracted. She remembered last time she was on a mission alone with Gray…very awkward. _'It was his fault it was awkward, he was staring at me!'_ thought Erza.

Why they were still in the Master's office she didn't know, but she wanted to just leave. She's been acting so weird around Gray lately, she doesn't understand why though. Her face gets all warm when he's around. When he gives off that oh so perfect smile of his she just melts. When he talks-or even looks-to her, her heart starts beating faster. And when he strips…dear Mavis, her face gets so red she's had to leave the room! It just doesn't make sense; it's _just_ Gray.

But then on the other hand, he's so infuriating! He knows Erza so well; he always seems to know what she's thinking. And yet she doesn't have a clue what the hell is going through that boy's head. Because of all of this Erza is acting more hostile towards him; she doesn't know what else to do.

Little did Erza know that it's her expressions that give away her thoughts all the time. When she first joined the guild, she had little to no emotion on her face, like _ever_. After Gray had managed to befriend her, little by little, Erza showed emotion again. Since she was always so emotionless, when she finally opened up she used expressions a lot. She probably didn't even notice herself; Gray thought that was cute in a way.

Erza had many expressions she used; some she only used around Gray. There was the _'What?' _look. There's the _'It's what Master wants…'_ look. The _'If you and Natsu don't come here right now I'm gonna beat your asses to Edolas!' _look. There was also the _'My cake, no touchy.' look. _Then there was that smile; that all too irresistible, adorable smile that Gray loved so much. There weren't really words to describe that expression, as cheesy as it sounds.

Gray saw Erza stand up to leave so he followed. The two wizards came out of Master's office, when they did they saw a…_interesting_ sight. It was Mira, Master, Cana, and Happy all huddled together. Gray and Erza didn't like that sight one bit. The four of them together means that they're trying to set up two people together. With Mira and Happy's fangirling-well fan_cat_ing for Happy- Cana's assertiveness, and Master's craftiness, they could make the whole world fall in love. They're the reason Natsu and Lucy are _finally_ dating; things seem to be going well too.

The two of them didn't have a good feeling about all of this; it felt like they were being set up or something. Erza started to wonder if this job was even real.

Though, Erza could tell if someone were lying or not. Even if this _was_ set up, the job was in fact real. Master wouldn't get her hopes up like that; he knew that she's wanted to go on a job like this for a long time now.

Brushing it off, Erza looked over to Gray. "This paper says that the bandit we're after, Mason Carrier, was last seen in Clover Town. Apparently he was seen near the meeting hall for guild masters. What he's plotting is still unknown." Gray nodded; they sat down to do some planning.

"So I guess we should stake out in Clover Town then? And if we don't find him there we ask around for him." Gray said/suggested.

"Exactly. We should leave for Clover Town tomorrow; the sooner we leave the sooner we can come back. It's a 10year quest so I want to leave as quickly as possible." Erza reasoned

Juvia was eavesdropping on their plans. There was a raincloud above her, she started sobbing. "NOOOOOO GRAY-SAMA! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE FOR A 10YEAR QUEST! Juvia doesn't think that she could stand you not being around for that long!" Juvia yelled.

That didn't go unheard, Juvia could outdo just about anyone when it came to her oh so precious Gray-sama. It earned many WHAT?''s and EH?!'s.

"Gray's leavin'? Then who am I supposed to fight?" Natsu said sadly.

"Gray and Erza, going on a 10year quest. Man I feel old…" said Macao. "That's cause you _are_ old." Wakaba said back. "You're the same age as me!" Macao yelled back.

"Gray and Erza together on a quest for 10 years? Why would Gray accept that…" said Lucy

Suddenly the guild got quiet, and it took a lot to make Fairy Tail silent. Lucy had a point; Erza's been so mean to Gray lately; why would he accept to go on a job that could take up to 10 years with her?

"Maybe he liiiiiiikesss her." Happy suggested. He was flying with one paw covering his mouth that had a wide-and quite creepy-smile.

That made Gray mad, his face got a bit red. "Master asked me to go so I did, that's all there is to it." Gray said sounding in denial. Erza turned around and said "Remember, we leave for Clover Town tomorrow. Be at the train station by 10 A.M. sharp." He nodded before storming off to think.

"But you might be gone for 10 years; we should have a goodbye party or something!" Natsu said.

Erza smiled sadly, "That would just make it harder to leave, it's not like we'll be gone forever." said Erza. "Now I need to go pack, goodbye everyone."

"I can bet it'll _feel_ like forever…" Lucy said sadly. She looked up to say something but Erza was already gone. That was strange, I mean, she said goodbye but… "Don't worry Lucy-san I'm sure they'll be back in less than 10 years. Gray-san and Erza-san are both very talented wizards." Wendy said positively.

Lucy smiled, Wendy was right; they'll be back in no time.

Back at Fairy Hills, Erza was thinking about how this was going to work out. It shouldn't be too bad; her first job actually was _with_ Gray. They were alone that time too. Though now thinking about it, that was a bit awkward as well.

When Erza first joined the guild she wanted to get used to the atmosphere first, so she didn't take a job for a while. When she decided to take a job, her and Gray grabbed for the request at the same time.

She smiled at the memory, shocked that it was 9 years ago; 16 years counting the time they spent on Tenroujima. Even so it seemed like it was yesterday.

Meanwhile at Gray's house, Gray was doing some thinking himself. What Lucy said kept pounding in his head. _'Why am I doing this?'_ He thought.

Then he thought about what Happy said. What he said was right, he _did_ like her. For 9-well technically 16-years. He remembered his first job with Erza. _'Yeah that job was awkward too…'_ Gray laughed at the thought. _'But it was also the most fun I've ever had on a job.'_ Gray thought.

He laughed again, remembering it like yesterday…

END OF CHAPTER 1

**HA HA! Cliffhanger ending, oh I'm evil. :3 How'd ya guys think? Good? Bad? Firetruckin' Awesome? Reveiw and Tell me! I promise that this story will be longer than my last, but it may take longer for me to write...so yeah.**

**Next chapter you'll see Erza's first job! I don't think that you'll see our villan, Mason Carrier, till chapter 3. In my mind he's hot. ^^ R&R GRAYZA FTW**


	2. Erza's first job

**Me**: **Chapter 2 is up, FINALLY! Sorry I took so long, will you forgive me? :( This chapter is over 1000 words longer than the previous one! I hope that makes up for it. YAY ^^ So this chapter is about Erza's first job. This chapter may not seem too fluffy at first, just wait for it, it will come. So on with the disclaimer! Who want to do it?**

***Erza, Natsu, Milliana, and Death the Kid raise their hands.***

**Natsu: Who's the dude with the black and white hair?**

**Me: Kid? What are you doing here; this isn't your anime…**

**Kid: I was just checking to see if you were symmetrical enough for your chapter 2 release, chapter 2 is always an important chapter so you have to be your best.**

**Me: Um…okay…Do you want to do the disclaimer?**

**Kid: LaynieCakes does not own Fairy Tail, or Soul Eater for that matter.**

**(Soul Eater has nothing to do with this or any chapter of this story just so you know.)**

Gray and Erza both remembered their first mission together all too well…

Erza had been in the guild for about a week, but she hadn't been on a job yet. She decided that it was time to finally go on one.

Truthfully, the reason she hadn't went on a job yet was because she didn't have the time. Gray would challenge her to fight him almost every day. She never said no either; each time she hoped that she would beat him and he would just _shut up._ But he never did. He just kept on fighting her and fighting her, till he found her by the river that day, crying. Ever since then he just, stopped.

Erza decided to take this chance to take her first job. By the request board, Erza traced her eyes back and forth looking for an easy-but not _too_ easy-job with a decent pay.

She found a job that was in Oak Town, not that far from Magnolia. Apparently, a woman named Emy Milton dropped her engagement ring in a lake. _'How sad…'_ Erza thought, she felt a bit bad for the woman; she lost the ring that symbolized that she was in love. Erza was never the type of girl that dreamed of her _'prince charming'_ but,-as a girl-she found love interesting.

The pay was 4000 jewel, _'A good amount for such a simple job.'_ Erza thought. Nodding in approval to the request, she reached out her hand for it.

As she grabbed the paper, another hand was clenched on to it as well. It was the hand of Gray Fullbuster; the boy that was consuming her time for the past week.

"_I'll_ be taking that, thank you very much." Gray said, snatching the paper for himself. He started to walk away with his all too proud smile across his face. Before he could officially take the job he heard Erza yell out something to him.

"Oh, so this is how _'The Great Gray'_ handles things? Pretty childish if you ask me." Erza taunted. Gray's head spun around, "What'd you just say?" Gray said back, _clearly_ pissed off.

"Don't act like you didn't hear me." Erza said. Erza took the chance of him being so worked up-standing there with no words coming out of his mouth-to take the paper from him. "I _did_ see the request first." Said Erza with her look that said _'Obviously…'_ on her face.

"Plus, I've never been on a job before." Erza added, mumbling. That comment got Gray out of his frozen state. "You haven't?" Gray asked. She nodded.

Gray shook his head, _'No, I can't start to feel bad for her!'_ Gray chanted through his mind. Even though he stopped hating Erza, Gray was a stubborn child. It took a while for Gray to start to actually be nice to Erza; though he _did_ view her as his nakama now. He just didn't want to admit it.

"Well…that doesn't matter! I've been looking at this job since, since…s-since yesterday! Yeah, so _really_," Gray pointed his thumb to himself, "_I_ saw the job first."Gray said; pretty proud that he came up with that on the spot.

"If you saw the job yesterday, then why didn't you _take_ the job yesterday?" Erza pointed out with her _'Duh'_ look on her face.

_'Crap.' _Gray thought. "Well, well, uh…cause….uh…" The ice wizard stuttered.

Erza sighed "It doesn't matter, but…, you've been at this guild longer than I have; why would you take such an easy job?" Erza asked with a perplexed look on her face.

"Well the last job I went on had a pretty big reward so…I decided to take an easier job to, relax a bit I guess." Gray answered truthfully.

The two children were left there in a very awkward situation, not knowing that there were many more awkward times to come. Their silence was interrupted, not by either of them, but by a certain card wizard who happened to hear it all.

"You _could_ just go on it together…" Cana started "I mean," she looked over to Erza. "This is your first job right? Most people go with someone on their first job." She finished.

Erza had a hand to her chin, thinking it over. She nodded her head in approval then gave a slight smile, "Well if that's the natural thing to do I don't see anything wrong with it." She concluded.

"_I_ never agreed to this!" Gray yelled pointing to himself with his cheeks puffed out.

"Well you're going." Master said, walking up behind him. "This is Erza's first job so someone should escort her, and _you've_ already shown an interest to the job." He finished

"But Gramps, it's just findin' a stupid ring! Do you _really _think she needs help?" Gray said back. Erza got a confused look on her face that asked _'Did he just compliment me?' _But she shook it off, there was no way Gray was saying that to compliment her, he just wanted out of the mission. Yeah.

Master looked to Gray with one open eye, the other closed, saying "Finding something can be harder than you think. You could go days without finding it and just when you forget about it, there it is." Master closed the eye that was looking at Gray. "You will escort Erza to her first job. That's final." He finished.

Gray just stood there with his jaw dropped to the floor. He had to go on a mission,_ alone_, with _Erza_?! And Gramps said that is was final; he didn't even have a choice in the matter.

Erza walked over to him and said, "We leave tomorrow, be at the train station by 10 A.M., sharp." Then she walked out. "Tch, _I'm_ supposed to be takin her to this job and _she_ acts like she the boss of this whole thing." Gray muttered under his breath before storming out of the guild; of course not noticing that his shirt was gone.

It was at this when that certain card wizard laughed to herself, holding the 'Brilliant Luck' card at hand. "My cards really _do _never lie." She said, then deciding to do some romance compatibility tests for the two stubborn wizards. Her smile got even wider when she got her answers.

"Cana, your smile is starting to creep me out…" Macao said. Cana puffed out her cheeks, "And just when I was starting to get all giddy…."

"Uh, sorry." Macao said in return, ruffling Cana's hair.

By the train station, it was 10:27 A.M. Erza was tapping her foot, he was late. She _had_ told him 10 sharp, right?

"Hey." A voice said from behind. Erza turned around to see Gray. "You're late. Didn't I say 10, sharp?" Erza asked in her demanding voice.

"You did, didn't you? But I'm here now so what does it matter, let's just leave." Gray said back, glaring at her then walking to the train.

Erza clenched her fists "Tch." Then she turned around and went onto the train herself, with a bitter look on her face that said, _'Why did I have to come with __**him**__? Why?'_ Though after Gray had found her that day by the river, he'd started turning soft. He still was such a stubborn boy! It pissed her off.

Gray and Erza sat down on the train; neither of them talked; just stole glances from each other every now and then. They just sat across from each other, looking out the window. That changed when a cart came around with cake on top.

Noticing the cake, Erza asked for a piece. She had cake only one time in her life and she loved it. She looked over to Gray with an eager look on her face, "Do you want a piece Gray?"

Just to be difficult, Gray was going to turn it down; till he saw a triple chocolate cake that is. "Well, I guess…" Gray answered trying his best to not sound too excited. Gray loved chocolate cake, he liked other cakes too but nothing was better than chocolate.

Erza looked at her piece with her eager eye, how she loved cake. She loved strawberry cake, though truthfully that's the only cake she had ever tried.

Gray couldn't help but notice how different she looked when she was eating cake. Before he knew it, he was staring at her. She didn't seem to care though, most likely because she was eating her beloved cake.

She looked so, so _girly_ when she was eating it. It was weird, she was never this happy. But for some reason, Gray liked to see this other side of Erza, this relaxed side of her. She was always so isolated and cold, though now she seemed so happy.

Erza finished her cake and noticed two dark blue eyes staring at her. "What?" She asked kind of embarrassed, why would _Gray_ be staring at_ her_?

Gray blushed, "Oh, uh, n-nothing…" he said awkwardly then continued eating his cake.

The rest of the way there neither of them talked, they just sat there with red faces and lingering minds. Both wondered what the other was thinking, but neither would dare to ask.

Finally, the train stopped. They had only been on the train for 2 hours, but the silence between them made it feel like forever. Erza stood up. "Well, let's get on with it." She said, walking towards the exit. Gray soon followed.

They walked till they made their way to a small cottage. Erza knocked on the door. No more than a few moments after a woman opened the door. She had dark, curly, violet hair that went down her back and sad looking black eyes.

"Um… are you Emy Milton?" Gray asked. The woman nodded. "Y-you are?" she asked back, tripping over her words.

"I am Erza and this is Gray, we are here for the request you sent out to Fairy Tail." Erza said. Emy relaxed, "Oh then," she gestured inside, "please come in." she said with a warm smile. Her house was small and cozy, though there was something about the place that made you know she was depressed. Most likely because she just lost her engagement ring.

"Please, sit down." She said. Gray and Erza found their way to a rather comfortable, green couch. They sat on opposite sides of the couch, with Emy sitting on a chair across from them.

Emy looked over to Erza, confused. "Um…why are you wearing armor?" she asked. Gray laughed, that got him a punch in the face. Still, Erza didn't answer the question; she just sat there in silence like she often does. She had started to open her shell a little bit, but was still an overall quiet girl.

Once Gray could think straight again after getting punched in the face, he saw the silence and decided to break it. "She _always_ wear's armor. Why, no one knows." Gray explained bluntly. "Oh, uh, ok then." Emy said in return.

Erza sighed, "Anyway, why did you ask Fairy Tail to do this job? Isn't there a guild closer to here?" Erza asked.

Emy stiffened up, "Phantom Lord? They're nothing but thugs; they don't _really_ help the town." Emy answered. "Tch, you can say that again…" Gray added.

Erza sat there confused for a moment but shook it off, deciding that the matter was best left as it was. But she couldn't help but wonder, _'What's up with this Phantom Lord guild?' _You could see the confusion on her face.

But, knowing that it wasn't the time to ask about it, Erza stood up. "So, where did you lose this ring of yours?" She said. Emy stood up as well "I'll show you." She said with a sad smile.

Walking to wherever Emy lost that ring, Gray couldn't help but think. _'Why did I have to come? She's taking charge anyway; she doesn't need my help if she can beat me up.'_ Gray thought.

Gray was still a bit hostile towards Erza, but truthfully he looked up to her. On that day by the river Erza was crying, but even so she stood up to fight; Gray admired that. He liked to see her so strong but, seeing her slightly girly side was amusing. He liked to think that he could bring that side of her out.

Lost in thought, Gray didn't notice that everyone stopped walking and he almost fell on top of Erza. _Almost._ But right as it was about to happen Gray stopped in his tracks and stood there silently; like nothing happened. _'That was close…'_ Gray thought as he mentally sighed.

Looking down, Gray and Erza saw a lake; and a pretty small one at that. The lake wasn't _in_ Oak town but just right outside it; everything was so pretty, so peaceful.

Emy pointed towards the lake "I dropped it in there, it's a small lake but I've went in there one too many times and I swear it's impossible to find!" Emy said with a pouty face, but then her face lit up. "That's why I've hired you two! I've looked for it many times but you're new to this lake. A fresh mind is always more likely to find what you're looking for!" She said cheerfully.

"Well then we better start looking." Erza stated with her hands on her hips. She then pulled up her sleeves to where her armor started and walked straight into the lake. She dug her arms into the water and began her search.

Gray went into the water for himself in nothing but his underwear; as usual. At least usual for Fairy Tail, Emy however was _completely _new to the young ice wizard's stripping habit. So him suddenly taking off his clothes shocked poor Emy just a _tiny_ bit.

"Um…..why did you take your clothes off?" Emy asked cautiously. Gray looked down. "WHEN DOES THIS HAPPEN?!" he shrieked.

"No one knows. You'll get used to it; I did." Erza said reassuringly. Emy was still a bit frazzled but decided to forget about it for the moment. "Well, I have a few things to attend to; I'll be back in about 2 hours okay?" Emy announced

The two young wizards nodded and then continued their search.

"So, do you have any idea what this ring looks like?" Gray said holding up a weirdly shaped rock he'd found. "No idea," Erza said, turning around to see Gray poking a rather large, blue frog with 3 horns "and would you stop messing around and search?" the requip wizard demanded.

Gray covered his ears from the noisy redhead. "Ya don't have to yell!" Gray said. Erza let out a 'Hmph' "Well with I have to with you…" She mumbled rolling her eye.

Gray definitely heard that, "Well what's tha-" The young ice wizard started; but he was interrupted. He was interrupted by laugh; and this laugh did come from Erza and most definitely didn't come from him. Erza heard it too.

"Show yourself." Erza said. The laughing thing did as it was told.

From what Gray and Erza could see, it was a frog. But no, not only did the frog laugh, but that was the frog Gray had poked a moment before!

Gray gave the creature a confused look "Hey isn't that the frog I poked?" The frog nodded, then it did something that neither of the children saw coming. It morphed; into a person' but still a weird looking person at that. Her skin was a sickly pale and her eyes were black; seemed to be glazed over. Her hair was long-all the way down to her ankles-and it was a dark, majestic green. The odd looking woman had a Phantom Lord guild mark on the center of her neck.

You can imagine how freaked out the two of them were at this point.

The woman/frog spoke. "I've found our fairies." She said with a sinister smile. "Oh but these are two children, I have to take down two weak kiddies?" The woman said, talking to no one.

Erza glared at her. "Weak?" she said. "REQUIP!" Erza then took out two swords, by the looks of the woman she seemed like a very capable wizard; she would need two swords.

"A requip wizard are we? No matter, I've dealt with your kind before. Besides, you're just a _child_." She said, the last word not flowing but seething off her tongue. "My magic is _much_ more powerful than yours anyway." The woman said with pride in her voice.

A bright light appeared, and once it was gone, Erza could see that the woman had changed forms again. "Full body takeover, creature soul!" The woman said, she was right; she wasn't what you would describe as an animal or a beast, but a creature, it was just so odd looking!

This 'creature' that she had turned into is what looked like a wild cat of some sort. It was bright yellow and had a navy blue strip down its face. It was a large cat; almost as big as Erza herself. Its teeth were gruesome and violent looking; you knew that this creature, no, _monster_ wasn't messing around.

"Takeover magic…" Erza mumbled. Then she attacked, "DANCE MY SWORDS, DOUBLE SWORD STRIKE!" Erza yelled

"LIGHTNING CLAW!" The takeover wizard yelled back.

They fought and fought but Gray just stood there in a daze. He had never seen Erza use magic before, when they had fought she never used magic. He had no idea that she was _this_ amazing; his magic couldn't compare. He looked up to her; he always had ever since he found her by the river that day. But now was different, he didn't just look up to her anymore, he _respected_ her. Before he knew it the wizard from Phantom Lord was defeated.

Erza smiled in her victory and then walked to her defeated opponent. With her arms crossed she gave the woman a stern look, "Who brought you here, and why did you attack us?" She asked the woman she still didn't know the name of.

The woman stubbornly turned her head from facing Erza, not answering.

Gray decided to step in, "Phantom and Fairy Tail have never gotten along. Never have, never will." He said bluntly. Erza nodded, understanding the situation a bit better now. _'So that's why Gray got so annoyed when Emy said Phantom Lord…'_

"What about the ring?" Gray asked, noticing that they forgot about the task at hand. "Oh yeah! We should probably get back to loo-AHHH!" Erza started but ended up falling on nothing.

Gray's face warmed up. "S-she screamed…like a girl..." He said, he had seen a lot of girly Erza today, but this took the prize.

This time it was Erza's face that warmed up, "Well what is that supposed to mean? I_ am_ a girl, baka!" She yelled, she would've kept on yelling at Gray but something caught her eye, something shiny.

What Erza saw was an engagement ring set perfectly on a lily pad. The bright blue sky made the pure silver ring shine even brighter against the water. Erza smiled, "Hey, look!" Erza pointed towards the ring. "The ring!" Gray said, and then he walked over to pick it up.

Holding it up, Gray looked at the ring for a while, then handing it to Erza. She studied it in awe. "It really is beautiful, isn't it?" Erza said.

"Yeah, it is." Gray said, smiling. He liked this side to Erza, even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he thought that this side to her was cute. And that was a big complement, because to Gray, girls still had cooties. But not Erza, she was different, Gray couldn't figure out what though.

Erza snapped Gray out of his lost thoughts, not knowing that those thoughts were about her. "So, should we just wait here till Emy comes back?" She asked, still holding the ring that fascinated her so much.

"Uh, yeah I guess. She said two hours right? It's been about that long I think." Gray answered truthfully. "Yeah she did, I bet she won't be that long." Erza answered.

Gray went over today's events in his head, then he realized something, "I've been completely useless today, haven't I?" Gray asked, disappointed in himself.

Erza though his question over, then came to an answer. "You gave me company." She said with a smile. "I thought you didn't like my company." Gray said back.

Erza grimaced. "I didn't," she started, but then looked back to the ring she'd been holding, "I don't mind it anymore…" she finished with a slight blush on her face.

Gray smiled, "Good."

Then they sat there in silence, but it wasn't one bit awkward. The two of them had a sudden change of heart, neither knew why though. Maybe it was the time alone, or maybe the ring, or maybe it was the look on Erza's face seeing that ring. Maybe Gray was so lost in her smile that he forgot that he ever hated her in the first place. Either way, all the two of them knew was that from that day forth, they were best friends.

Erza smiled at the memory, _'It was so simple back then…'_ she thought. It wasn't the same anymore; her relationship with Gray was different now. Everything was so much more complicated now. Thinking about it, she wondered where that woman from Phantom ever went off to. But she shook it off, she couldn't focus on that, she had to focus on the task ahead. Even though she had other things to focus on in her hectic life, those soothing memories were always with her in the back of her mind. Sometimes she thought that those memories were the only thing keeping her life together.

As she continued packing her five bazillion things, Erza hoped that she could use this 10year quest as a chance to make things with Gray less awkward. _'Time will tell…'_ she thought

She collapsed onto her bed and turned off her light hoping she would sleep. She didn't though, she just laid there wide awake, her thoughts on the ice wizard she seemed to have fallen for.

END OF CHAPTER 2

**Yay, now you just have to wait another eternity for chapter 3! :D Was it fluffy enough for you fluff fans out there? Was it? Well tell me in a review or P.M. Also if you have any ideas or suggestions you have for something you'd want me to fit into the story, TELL ME! I could use all the ideas I could get. Truthfully, I don't really have a complete plan for this story. *guilty face***

**Shoutouts to my reviewers!**

**InsigniaOfFairyTail: Was it fluffy enough?**

**IcedSoulFairy: Why thank you Ice-san! :3**

**Raikiri80: Yes the relationship between Gray and Erza no matter how fluffy will always have some awkwardness in it.**

**Peace1331: Whether that pun was good or not, I got what you meant and that's all that matters. Thank you. ^^**

**Senior dingdong (guest): Thank you but, please don't call me sweetie…it kinda creeps me out…Thank you for the compliment though!**

**SnowKawasagi: Thanks, here's chapter two! (obviously) **

**pinkkoala213: Here's chapter 2! ^^**

**I'll try and update as fast as I can! R&R**


	3. The nicest rejection

**Me: I took over a week to update again! :( Sorry…but chapter 3 is here and is as long as the last chapter so YAY! :D There's not too much GrayZa in this one though….I figured that there needed to be a chapter where Gray got things straight with Juvia so I decided to make it this one. Some GrUviOn, LyVia, and NaLu and GaLe if you squint. **

**Juvia: What does Laynie-san mean 'get things straight'?**

**Me: Juvia, I told you, this is a **_**GrayZa**_** fanfiction not a GrUvia fanfiction.**

**Juvia:*cries* Why is Laynie-san so mean to Juvia?!**

**Me: J-Juvia…sorry. Would doing the disclaimer calm you down?**

**Juvia:*nods*LaynieCakes does not own Fairy Tail.**

Erza got little to no sleep that night, though Gray wasn't any better.

Back at Gray's house, Gray thought over and over about his first job with Erza. "Man that was awkward!" he laughed to himself.

Trying to clear his mind, Gray decided that is was time to get some sleep. But just because he lies down doesn't mean that he'll fall asleep. His mind was on a certain bossy redhead. He couldn't stop thinking about her lately. _'She's been acting so weird lately…'_ the Ice Maker wizard thought.

Erza had been avoiding Gray for the past few months, which is odd being that they're best friends. Well, at least they _were_ best friends. The last time that they had 'quality time' together, it was when they talked on the balcony during the Grand Magic Games about Juvia. Right….Juvia….

Juvia has been getting more and more annoying. Gray hadn't realized Juvia's feelings up until this past year. Though now that he knew, Gray wondered how he _didn't_ realize it for all that time! Gray started noticing things, things like how Juvia greets him before anyone else, how she made sure that she gave him his present first on his birthday, how anger and jealousy _seethes_ out of her when he even speaks to another girl. Heck, he didn't even notice her stalking him till more recently! They were all obvious things, but why did Erza have to point them out?

Don't get me wrong, Gray did care about Juvia, he just didn't…like her _that way._ But now Juvia thinks that Gray likes her. Why? Well it's one person's fault.

Lyon Bastia.

Ever since _he_ came into the picture everything has been a mess. People-including Juvia-think that the reason he fight's Lyon is because he's jealous or something, but that's not it! Gray has a natural rivalry with Lyon; Lyon could've taken interest in Cana, Lucy, Levy, anyone! Gray still would've had the same reaction. He cares for all of his female nakama and would've fought Lyon for trying to flirt with any one of them.

He has that natural rivalry with Lyon, but truthfully, ever since the whole thing with Deliora happened, part of Gray still didn't trust him. Gray knew that Lyon has changed but after what happened, after what _he did_; Gray has always been keeping an eye on him. He didn't want to take the chance of him hurting Juvia.

You could say that this is all….protective. But when it comes down to it, it's all Juvia's choice. Gray knew that he needed to stop getting involved with her love life. It was her life, not his. _His_ love life was still wrapped around Erza Scarlet.

His thoughts still lingering on about the Requip wizard, he was brought back to reality when he heard a knock on his door. Gray stood up and yawned, _'Who's here so late at night?'_ He walked towards the door, braced himself for whoever was behind the knock he heard, and opened it.

"U-um, hello…Gray-sama…" Juvia said shyly, with a hint of pink on her cheeks. "Juvia, what are you doing here? It's so late." He said, yawning again.

Seeing that her beloved Gray-sama was tired, Juvia got all flustered "Oh, did Juvia wake you?! Juvia is very sorry…" She said quickly, bowing a few times to show her sincerity.

Gray put up one hand and said, "It's okay Juvia, I wasn't asleep yet. But you're dodging the question, why are you here?" Gray asked.

_"Juvia was here to ask you to marry Juvia and have 30 babies with her!" Juvia said excitedly "I thought you'd never ask." Gray answered, and then went on in picking her up and drowning her with kisses._

"Juvia…" Gray said.

"Juvia…" He said again, waving a hand in front of her; no use.

"JUVIA!" Gray yelled; _that_ got her attention. "H-huh?" Juvia said, snapping back into reality, her face red.

She shook her head, _'That's exactly how it will go! All Juvia has to do is express her feelings!' _Juvia opened her mouth to say something, but soon closed it. The words just wouldn't come out. _'No, Juvia can't say that, not yet…Juvia just needs to think of something else to say…'_

After thinking for a moment, Juvia found words to say, "Well, Juvia knows that Gray-sama might be gone for 10 years so…Juvia wanted to say goodbye. Juvia also wanted to tell Gray-sama a few other things…" She finally said her face still slightly tinged with pink.

"Well what _'other things'_ did you come to say?" Gray asked back, now a little interested in what Juvia was saying. But his interest soon vanished, because he knew what she was going to say…

"Juvia has loved Gray-sama for a long time now, Gray-sama might've already noticed this…" she started, Gray knew it was just a matter of time before she confessed.

"And lately, Juvia's started to think that Gray-sama doesn't feel the same way. Juvia wanted to ask Gray-sama something." She said, looking up to Gray with a determined look on her face. Gray clenched his teeth; he knew what she was going to ask.

"Does Gray-sama love Erza-san?" She asked, even though at this point she probably knew the answer herself.

Gray sighed, "Juvia…" he started, but he was cut off. "Juvia knew it; Gray-sama _does_ love her." She said, tears swelling up inside.

Just as she was about to run away in embarrassment and frustration a hand grabbed hers. "Yes, I love Erza. But don't think that I don't care about you either!" He said a little louder, Juvia looked at him blushing with tears still in her dark blue eyes, and then he continued. "Maybe I don't like you the way you like me, but I do _really_ care about you. I can't really think of how to say in any other way…" More tears came to Juvia's eyes, and then the rain started. "But…" Gray pulled her into a hug "I'm sorry."

Juvia stood there in his arms, shocked. "I'm sorry that I can't love you the way you love me. I'm sorry that you chased me for the past few years hoping that I would chase back." The rain became lighter "I'm sorry, that I made blind to all the other guys out there that wouldlove to make you theirs…" He finished.

Juvia knew that he was talking about Lyon. And as if he read her mind, Gray mumbled something else, "Including that idiot Lyon…" Part of Gray still may've not trusted Lyon, but he's shown how he cares for Juvia, and he's shown that he would never do anything to hurt her.

Something in that moment changed Juvia, because the rain just, stopped. Just like when they'd first met. And then Juvia did something that no one thought she would do. She laughed, _laughed._ A light laugh, but a laugh all the same. Then she pushed herself out of Gray's arms. "Gray-sama doesn't have to apologize so much!" She said still slightly giggling.

Then her expression changed, she looked embarrassed. "Juvia can't believe it! Juvia had the wrong love rival the whole time!" She said "Juvia should probably go and apologize to Lucy-san…" She finished, looking guilty.

She gave Gray one last hug and said, "Juvia hopes that Gray-sama will come back soon! Juvia will miss you…" She said, and then added, almost whispering "And Juvia wishes Gray-sama luck with Erza-san."

Gray just stood there, shocked, just _shocked_. Juvia noticed this, "Hmmm, what's wrong Gray-sama?" she asked, a bit worried.

Gray cleared his head then spoke, "No it's just…I didn't think that you'd respond that well…" He answered truthfully, scratching the back of his head.

At this Juvia laughed again, _'It seems like Juvia is acting like herself in front of me now…good'_ Gray thought, smiling to himself. Hopefully, Juvia would quit obsessing over Gray now. Though now she wouldn't have a Gray to obsess over I guess he would be on a mission for maybe even 10 years.

As Juvia was walking away from Gray's house, a thought occurred to her, "Oi, Gray-sama!" Juvia called out one last time. Gray turned his head to her, "What?" he asked back.

"Your clothes." Juvia said with a knowing smile on her face.

Gray looked down, then screamed "WHEN DOES THIS HAPPEN!?" Then he went on to search for his clothes that he took off who _knows_ how long ago.

Juvia giggled, then turned around a walked happily back to her apartment, _'I can't believe that Juvia was rejected, and yet, Juvia is happy!'_ Juvia thought to herself.

Once Juvia got back to Fairy Hills, she changed into her pajamas; a long sleeve, light blue v-neck and navy blue flannel pants. She collapsed onto her bed to see a plushy of Gray. Then she got a sad look on her face, she knew that he could be gone for 10 years. _Could_ be, that is.

Sighing, Juvia got up and put to Gray plushy on her shelf, _'Juvia will keep this to remember Gray-sama while he is gone.'_ She thought, nodding her head.

Lying on her bed, Juvia exhaled out then got a goofy smile. "Gray-sama and Juvia are friends." She said aloud, as if trying to make sure it was true. "Juvia didn't think that she would be so happy about it, or maybe…" her voice trailed off, _'maybe it was because Gray-sama mentioned Lyon-sama…'_ she thought, not saying it aloud so no one could hear her.

_'Well, time will tell, won't it?'_ she thought closing her eyes. A pretty positive thought to fall asleep to.

**Oh, you thought that this chapter was over? NOPE! :D Keep on reading! ^^**

Knock, knock, knock.

Juvia's eyes opened, though they probably didn't want to.

Knock, knock, knock.

She was awake now, and someone was clearly knocking on her door. Juvia forced herself out of her bed and dragged her feet to the door; she didn't like being woke up. She preferred to wake up on her own.

Opening the door, Juvia found herself in front of Erza; with her many, _many_ suitcases. "O-oh, Erza-san what are you doing here?" she asked hesitantly.

"Just saying goodbye to everyone still here." She said with her usual smile. "Oh and, most of the girls are at the guild already so could you say goodbye to them for me along with the rest of the guild? I would myself but it seems that I've overslept…" Erza said sounding a bit guilty.

"I wouldn't want to be late." Erza finished. "Oh course! Erza-san wouldn't want Gray-sama to wait." Juvia said. "And Juvia will make sure to tell everyone goodbye for Erza-san!"

"Would you like to come and say goodbye to Gray?" Erza asked. Juvia was a bit shocked, but she didn't want to come in between Gray and Erza, so she declined. "Actually, Juvia already said her goodbyes to Gray-sama yesterday. She finally confessed to him, though Gray-sama didn't feel the same way…" Juvia started but was then cut off by a mad Erza.

"He rejected you? When I get my hands on that boy…" Erza said then continued mumbling on about how he should've thought about poor Juvia's feelings.

"Gray-sama did reject Juvia in a way, but Juvia isn't mad. Gray-sama is in love with another girl, deep down Juvia already knew that was the case. But Gray-sama apologized for not being able to return Juvia's feelings." Juvia spit out, talking very fast.

Erza looked a bit taken back. "Erza-san, are you okay?" Juvia asked, "Y-yeah, I'm fine but, did Gray _really_ do that?" Erza asked, truly confused.

"Um yes Gray-sama did that if Juvia remembers correctly, why?" Juvia re-questioned

"No, it's just, that's so…_romantic_ for him." Erza answered, Gray was never the most romantic guy, but when it comes down to it he could usually find the right thing to say. He had a certain way that he worded things; it made what he was saying sound all more important, and all less offensive. "And what do you mean he's in love with another girl?" Erza asked, her voice sounding a bit annoyed.

Juvia grinned, "Oh, and why would Erza-san be so worried about _that_?" She asked, almost channeling Mira.

Erza's face got red when she realized how she sounded when she said that. "Uh, well, uh…." Erza's mind trailed off to the Ice Maker wizard.

"Oh, does Erza-san _really_ not know who it is? Well, Juvia will give Erza-san a hint. The girl that Gray-sama is in love with is beautiful, she is strong, and she can take care of herself. She can be girly too though; she absolutely _loves_ cake and sweets. She is very kind but very strict. She is a happy person, who enjoys the little things. She is a very capable wizard that Juvia looks up to very much. Whether she loves Gray-sama back is unknown to Juvia. But Juvia thinks that Erza-san knows." Juvia said with a wink.

Now Erza's face was _really_ red, you couldn't tell where her hair started and her skink ended. Part of her flushed face came from the compliments that Juvia was drowning her in. But it was mainly that Juvia knew, just _knew_ that she liked him back. And she did, Erza knew that now was her chance to tell Gray how she felt, and she knew that was what Juvia was getting at.

"Juvia wishes Erza-san luck." Juvia said cheerfully.

"Thank you, I promise that we'll both be back in one piece." Erza said, walking down the hallway, hauling her wagon of many suitcases.

"That's not what Juvia was talking about." She said.

Erza stopped walking for a moment, then turned half her head to Juvia, "I know." She said with her usual, calm smile.

And at that Juvia couldn't help but smile herself. If Gray couldn't be happy with her, then Juvia would want Gray to be happy with someone. She thought that Erza was a good choice for him.

Juvia closed her door and walked back in her room. She quickly showered, got changed and was on her way out the door in no time. Off to the guild she went!

Walking there, she wondered if Gray and Erza were on the train by now. But she forgot her mental question as soon as she was standing in front of the guild hall.

Juvia opened the door to the guild; it was a bit quieter than usual. Probably because Gray wasn't around to fight Natsu and Erza wasn't around to stop them from fighting. Juvia frowned at this but, everyone would just have to get used to it.

"Good morning, Mira-san." Juvia said. Mira looked up from the plate she was drying, "Good morning Juvia!" Mira cheered with her usual smile.

"Erza-san told Juvia to tell everyone at the guild goodbye for her; apparently she overslept and didn't want to be late for her train." Juvia explained

"Well that is certainly odd…" Mira said. "Hmm? What's odd Mira-san?" Juvia asked. Mira looked to Juvia to her plate that she was still drying "Well, Erza isn't one to oversleep…maybe something was on her mind…" Mira said looking worried for her old rival.

Juvia didn't think about that, Erza was always one to exceed expectations so something like oversleeping _was_ odd, at least for Erza. _'Maybe Erza-san had something on her mind…or some__**one**__ on her mind…'_ Juvia though silently, grinning to herself. _'Maybe Erza-san was too busy thinking about Gray-sama to sleep…'_ Juvia internally laughed at her own joke.

But that laugh seemed to escape her lips as well.

"Hmm? What's so funny?" Mira asked as she heard a giggle come from the lips of the bluenette in front of her. "Oh nothing, Juvia was just thinking…" Mira put down her plate and put an elbow on the counter, resting her face in her hand. "Do tell." She said with her trademark smile.

Juvia wasn't shocked by this in the slightest; truthfully a part of Juvia _knew_ that she would get questioned like this. Then again, Juvia almost made it _too_ easy.

"Well, Juvia has noticed that something has been going on between Gray-sama and Erza-san. And Juvia knows how Gray-sama _feels_ about Erza-san so; maybe Erza-san was thinking about Gray-sama and couldn't sleep?" Juvia said.

Mira smiled, well she was already smiling but her smile got wider. "Oh so I wasn't the only one who noticed that…" but her smile died down "but wouldn't you be upset about something like that?" Mira asked with concern in her voice.

"Well, uh, Juvia…._confessed_ to Gray-sama last night and…" Juvia started before she was cut off by Mira "You what? You confessed? Tell me _everything_." Mira said.

"Yeah Juvia, give us the details!" Levy chimed in. "Did Gray reject you? Cause if he did, *hic* he's facin' hell *hic* when he gets his ass back *hic* here." A drunken Cana slurred.

Soon pretty much_ all_ the girls were surrounding Juvia, tackling her with questions. Juvia's face burned up and she started very fast and loudly. Noticing this, Lucy yelled over everyone "Hey give her some space, do you guys want her faint or something?" Lucy said trying to calm everyone down.

Lucy yelling didn't work but the guild doors swinging open did. And who was standing there? Lyon Bastia, he was smiling, and was _obviously_ looking for Juvia. When he saw her his face lit up, and you knew that his smile was genuine.

"Juvia-chan!" Lyon cheered.

He walked over to her as fast as he could without looking like an idiot. He put his hands behind his back for a moment then moved them back to face Juvia. Only this time he had a rose made of ice in his hand. He handed it to Juvia, "For you, my dear. The rose itself is unbreakable, just like my love for you." He said in a suave tone.

Juvia blushed, "Um, Lyon-sama, why are you here?" Juvia asked as she grabbed the rose. "Hmm?" Lyon smiled "Well to see you of course!" He said.

Evergreen waved her hand in the air, "Hey, aren't you gonna tell us how you confessed to Gray?" she questioned irritably.

The other girls all look at her. "Mood ruiner." They all say in unison.

"Y-you confessed to Gray?" Lyon said he looked like he wanted to cry. "U-um yes but…he uh…Gray-sama rejected Juvia."

Lyon's sad face quickly turned into an angry one, "He what?" he yelled "That idiot! I'll kill hi-"

"Calm down Lyon-sama! Gray-sama didn't hurt Juvia's feelings. Juvia's not mad at Gray-sama. Gray-sama wasn't mean when he rejected Juvia; he apologized for not being able to return Juvia's feelings. And he said that there were plenty of guys out there that would like Juvia." Juvia said quickly. "Gray-sama is in love with another girl and Juvia wants him to be happy with her." Juvia added

Everyone was in silence; the guild has never been this silent, like _ever._ But it didn't last long before Lyon broke it "W-wait so, you mean, you're giving up on Gray?"

"Um, sort of." Juvia said with an unsure yet happy smile. Juvia saw how excited Lyon looked and cut in "B-but don't think that Juvia is going to return Lyon-sama's feelings so quickly!"

"Hmm?" Lyon looked to Juvia with a perplexed look, and then he smiled again. "Well that doesn't matter, because I'm still one step closer, right?" He said.

Juvia blushed. He was still one step closer. One step closer. She smiled, _'Lyon never really was one to give up now was he?'_

"I still can't believe that Gray would leave on such short notice. Leave this beautiful water wizard? Not very gentlemanly if you ask me." Lyon said, mumbling the last part. Juvia laughed slightly and Lyon blushed heavily. "Juvia laughed, at one of my jokes…" He almost fainted.

Then Juvia realized why she'd been so happy today. Last night right before she fell asleep, Juvia knew that the next day would be special. There was something about the air when she was walking to the guild that made her feel happy. It didn't make sense at first; two of her closest nakama were leaving that day and may not come back for 10 years. But now it made sense, Juvia knew that today was going to be a good day. And now she saw what was so good about it, today was the day that Juvia realized Lyon's potential. The day she realized that the feeling inside her when she heard Lyon's voice was true _joy_. The fact of it was that Lyon made Juvia happy, and Juvia didn't want to admit it for all the time that Lyon had been chasing after her.

He'd been chasing after her, just like Juvia had chased after Gray, just hoping that she would chase back. And maybe, just _maybe_ she would do just that. Now Juvia got what Gray meant a bit more.

He said that he was sorry for blinding her from all the other guys out there. Now that Juvia confessed, her mind was clear, and she noticed little things about guys around her.

Like Natsu for example. Natsu and Lucy have been dating for a while now and Juvia's started to notice why Lucy likes him so much. Sure he's an idiot but he's a goodhearted idiot. Out of everything else his is handsome, and he has a strong sense of loyalty.

Then there's Gajeel. He's an idiot too, but his laugh is seductive in a way. He's protective, but wouldn't let you get hurt. Levy probably feels safe when he's around.

Juvia never noticed these things till today, she smiled _'Thank you, Gray-sama.'_ She said in her head.

With Lyon visiting, the guild became it's rowdy self again quickly. But within it all Juvia's thoughts went back to Gray and Erza. _'Those two are probably on the train by now…'_ she thought.

END OF CHAPTER 3

**How was it? Please review or PM me to let me know! So this one had a good bit of LyVia in it, but I'm an insane LyVia shipper so that would make sense. Yeah so as I'm writing this, it you guys have any suggestions please let me know! I would be more than happy to try and fit something special in just for you. ^^ The next chapter will be filled with GrayZa goodness, I promise. **

**Shoutout Time! To all of my lovely reviewers.**

**pinkkoaka213: Here's another shoutout! :D I love "girly Erza" as well! Writing that chapter was really fun so I'm glad that you liked it. ^^**

**IcedSoulFairy: YAY YOU'RE BACK! :D I'll make sure to just call you Ice then! ^^ Everyone seems to love "girly Erza" I love her too. I guess I put that in there because I love in the Deliora arc when Erza falls into Lucy's pit. XD I died laughing so I try and put that in as much as possible.**

**Kari Hitsugaya: I've never had my story called "Righteous" before but I am honored that you liked it enough to do so. ^o^**

**HayaaShigure-kun: Truthfully, I fangirl the entire time I write…thank you for being in love with my story! :D**

**Theformulaofpudding: 5EVA? That is either a typo or a new extreme of adorableness….I choose the latter. ^^**

**Raikiri80: Awkward=Adorable at least in my mind…XD**

**SnowKawasagi: Thanksies! I'm still deciding on whether I should make Phantom and Fairy Tail's old rivalry connected to the story somehow or not…:P I don't know…**

**Thank you all for reviewing! Also if any of you guys are on tumblr I am as well! My username is 'ulianne' (LaynieCakes was already taken…) so check that out please. ^^ Well, I leave you guys here. See ya in a week or two!**


	4. The Train Ride to Clover

**Me: OHMYGODIMSOOOOOSORRYYYYY! I haven't updated this is FOREVERRR! .-. Yeah so I rewrote this chapter because my original idea for chapter 5 was going absolutely nowhere. I've been really behind in school and I'm still doing school now. I just hope I make it to 8****th**** grade. Ugh. My laptop was also broken for a while so I couldn't use it for about a month. Everything on my laptop (which this is a school laptop and I have no idea how this website isn't blocked.) was erased, but the people fixing my laptop got all of my Word documents back, thank GOD. I have NO idea when chapter 5 will be out, but I'll try and update my drabble series and make some one shots to keep you guys happy.**

**Lyon: Wow, you went through a lot these past few months…**

**Me: Lyon-sama? *eyes turn into hearts* Yes but everything is fine now. Also um…HUUUG MEEEE!**

**Lyon: O.o Um, no.**

**Me: ;n; Meanie. At least do the disclaimer.**

**Lyon: LaynieCakes does not own Fairy Tail, or Lamia Scale for that matter. **

**(Lol, I'm a huuuuuge Lyon fangirl!)**

With her wagon of suitcases behind her, Erza Scarlet was running to the train station. _'Gah, I overslept!' _she thought to herself. You could see the frustration on her face.

Why did she oversleep? Well, her mind was lingering on and on about a certain friend of hers named Gray Fullbuster. She couldn't stop thinking about him! It was like everything that she thought about-no matter how unrelated it seemed-always traced back to him.

She passed the various stores in the streets of Magnolia; including the cake shop. It took everything in her not to stop there and eat everything in sight. Erza couldn't help but think of her first birthday that she shared with Gray; he took her to that cake shop…Aaaaaaaand her mind went to _him_ again. _'Gah!' _Erza thought as she mentally slapped herself _'I need to focus!' _

Erza had been a bit well, _off_ the last few months. It was all because of that Ice Maker wizard and his damned looks! His attractiveness just annoyed her to no end. But it wasn't just that, Gray was just, Gray. That's all there was to it, there weren't exact words to describe that boy; as cheesy as it sounds. Well, there are a few things that Erza would put Gray as…Annoying, stubborn, idiotic, perverted, and absolutely insufferable! But he is also kind, and he is warmhearted, and though he may not be the most _romantic_ guy around…The way he said things, the way he gave advice or comfort; in those moments he sounds like a main character in one of the romance novels that Erza reads!

He had way with his words that made sound so soothing, so caring, so…perfect. Erza blushed, _'Well maybe not perfect but, pretty close…'_

As she neared the train station, Erza saw a man with spiky dark blue hair. And no doubt, it was Gray. _'Shit, he got here before me…'_ Erza thought. She knew that he would question her about being late. What was she supposed to say? "Oh I was up last night thinking about you and your hotness."? Erza shook her head _'No, I need to stop thinking about him like that!' _

Erza put on her calmest fake smile and prepared herself for who knows what lies in store. Of course, that phony smile didn't fool Gray, so he raised an eyebrow. Erza caught his perplexed look but decided to ignore it. She was facing him but wouldn't look him in the eye. "You're early, for once…" She said, mumbling the latter part sarcastically.

Gray puffed out his cheeks, "I'm not _always_ late you know…" he said, grimacing. He looked over to Erza who had the _'Yeah right…'_ look on her face.

"Well, _you're_ late this time, not me!" Gray said in a know-it-all voice and sideways grin. "I wasn't late! You were merely early!" Erza said back with her overpowering voice and terrifying glare that would scare most people shitless.

Gray just rolled his eyes. "Sure, now let's get going, the train isn't gonna stay here forever ya know." He said turning around and walking towards the train.

"Don't we have to pay for our tickets?" Erza said, stopping Gray in his tracks. But he just smirked and turned his head saying, "I already did." Then he walked inside.

Erza just stood there. _'What does that mean? Did he pay for my ticket?!' _Erza blushed at the thought, but tried to not think about it. _'Why does he have to make me blush so easily?'_ She thought, walking inside the train.

Gray was already sitting down, looking out the window. Erza silently braced herself for the train ride to come. She forced herself to smile and sat down across from him.

When she sat down, Gray's eyes made contact with her own and Erza's face went a little red. _'Why do I blush over something as small as eye contact?' _She thought.

Gray raised an eyebrow "What's up with you today?" He asked, not noticing his coat already gone. But Erza noticed, and she blushed harder. But she used his stripping habit to her advantage. "Gray, your coat…" She said in her most normal voice she could muster.

Gray looked down. "Crap…" Then he looked around for his coat that went missing who knows how long ago. "Where did it…?" Gray muttered, and then he sighed "I'm never gonna find it, I never do." He sat back down.

"So, back to the subject you tried to get off of. What's your deal today?" He said, seeing through Erza's little plan.

_'Crap…'_ Erza thought, she should've known better, Gray's much smarter than he looks. "Nothing is wrong; I'm fine, just thinking."

"About what?" Gray asked back. "That isn't of your concern." She said in return, crossing her arms. "Are you _trying_ to make this awkward?" Gray asked.

Erza looked up at him, "N-no…" She said. "Well then tell me, what's on your mind?" He said with a slight smile. It was a smile that made Erza's face tint with pink, since when was she a sucker for smiles?

"I talked to Juvia this morning…" Erza started, Gray instantly got nervous hearing Juvia's name _'Did Juvia tell her? No, Juvia wouldn't do that, would she?' _ Gray thought. He realized that he didn't know Juvia as well as people may think; probably because he's been trying to _avoid_ Juvia for the longest time.

Erza continued "I was just saying goodbye to everyone at Fairy Hills, Juvia was one of the only girls not at the guild yet. But…I heard she _finally_ confessed to you." Gray tensed up; he knew where this was going.

"I _also_ heard you rejected her, you know Gra-" Erza was cut off, "In my defense I said I was sorry! And I explained everything and I even hugged her!" Gray said quickly, not wanting to get scolded again. Her glare didn't scare him as much as it scared most people, but when Erza's mad enough it can send chills down Gray's spine.

"I know." She said, making Gray look up at her in surprise. "Y-you do? Oh good, I thought you were gonna kill me there for a sec." He said, sighing in relief.

"I thought what you did was very considerate and, surprisingly…_romantic_. You know, for you." Erza said with a small smile on her face when she said the last part.

Gray puffed out his cheeks again, looking annoyed with the Titania's last sentence. "I also heard from Juvia that the main reason you rejected her was because you already are in love…" her voice drifted off.

They sat like that, in the still air for a moment. The train finally started moving, and a cart full of cakes came past the two wizards.

Gray saw Erza's eyes glint "Want a piece? I'll buy." he said, slightly smiling again. Erza looked over to him with a look on her face that said _'R-really?'_

Erza shook her head, "But, you already paid for my ticket, I can handle this one." The redhead said, not wanting to let herself get too pampered.

But Gray reached for the cake first. "I insist." He whispered before looking up to the woman selling them. "One chocolate and one strawberry please." He said looking at the woman with his best charming smile.

The woman-her nametag said Kalen-had hearts in her eyes. "Um, right up sir!" she said getting the cakes right away "I'll give them to you half off!" She said with a wink.

"You don't have to be _that_ nice to me." He said, taking the cakes from Kalen and smiling a bit more when she waved to him as she walked down the aisle to sell more cakes.

"Tch. Since when are you taking up the Tri-men's job?" Erza said with her arms crossed. Gray gave her a sideways grin, "Since when are you the jealous type?"

Gray was still smirking and Erza was just glaring, but then she picked up his fork, took a piece of his cake, and proceeded to put the cake in his mouth and leave the fork dangling in his mouth. Then she took her cake and began eating it, "Just eat your cake."

Gray shrugged, and then ate his cake. He looked up just to see Erza happily eating her cake. He smiled, any time he could see Erza that happy made his day a good one.

Erza looked up just in time to see the Ice-Maker wizard looking at her. "W-what? Did I get something on my face?" She mumbled, her face going red.

"No, I couldn't help but notice how cute and happy you look when you're eating cake." Gray said back.

"…You're spending too much time around those boys from Blue Pegasus." Erza said, narrowing her eyes. "Maybe I am. But it doesn't change the fact that I meant what I said, cheesy or not." He said with his sideways smirk.

Avoiding eye contact, Erza focused her attention back on her cake. But she finished it very quickly so she moved her eyes to look out the window.

_'Hey we're almost there!'_She thought. Erza had been to Clover plenty of times and she was sure that they would be there in no more than 5 minutes.

"Looks like we're almost there." Gray said, taking the last bite of his cake. "Uh, yeah…looks like it." Erza replied, having a far away look in her eyes.

"Erza, what's bothering you?" Gray said, Erza's violet-brown eyes shot Gray a confused look, "I already told you."

"You said that you and Juvia talked, you didn't say what bothered you about it." Gray pointed out, not moving his eyes away from the redhead.

Erza's face turned bright red, even redder than her hair. "W-w-well…uh…well Juvia said that you rejected her because you already had feelings for someone and…"

"And…?" Gray tried his best to hide his own flushed face, which wasn't that hard considering that Erza wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"Well I'm curious!" Erza said, mentally slapping herself for saying something so stupid. Gray raised an eyebrow, "Curious?" Gray froze for a minute but then he got what she meant. "I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU!" He yelled, causing a few other people on the train to stare.

"Well...I..." Erza was cut off the train suddenly stopping. "CLOVER TOWN, WE'VE ARRIVED AT CLOVER TOWN!" A man in a uniform yelled.

Without wasting a second Erza was off the train and going to the storage area for her luggage. Gray didn't bring nearly as much so he just grabbed his two suitcases and left.

While Gray was waiting for Erza to get back and took the time to think a bit. _'Erza was curious…about my love life.'_ That thought echoed through his mind. _'__**My**__ love life…'_ Gray's face was getting redder and redder, but he couldn't help but wonder what exactly Juvia told Erza.

Gray was lost in his own thoughts when he heard a wagon coming his way. He turned around to see Erza with all her luggage. She had even more than usual; if that was possible. Though, she had a reason this time. _'Ten years…' _was all he could think.

"So shall we go to the nearest hotel?" Erza asked, walking to and the past Gray; still avoiding his dark blue eyes. He nodded, _'Ten years…how is this going to go?'_ thought the Ice Maker wizard.

Gray and Erza walked through Clover Town; it was quite a peaceful town. Though being that trouble seems to follow all Fairy Tail wizards, the town probably won't be peaceful for that much longer. The town was also rather small, so if Mason Carrier was still here it might not be all that hard to find him.

The two wizards stopped walking and looked up; they found themselves in front of a rather large inn. "The Northern Inn…" Erza said, reading the sign at the top of the door.

A man quickly opened the door, with an all too generous smile. "Come in, come in. The Northern Inn welcomes you." This man had poker straight, dark green hair and yellow, cat like eyes that seemed to be able to peer into you. He was an average height, and had a decent build. But his smile, there was something off about his smile; Erza didn't like it.

But she gave her best smile back, "Thank you..." Erza's voice trailed off to find the man's name tag, "…Randall."

Randall nodded, "No problem, it is my job. Oh and would you like to keep your wagon in the storehouse? You could take the luggage you need from it and take the rest when you leave." He said, still smiling.

"That would be wonderful, thank you." Said Erza, taking the luggage she needed from her wagon. She looked up, and saw that Gray was getting some of her luggage as well. "Y-you don't need to do that! I can get everything myself…" The redhead stuttered, her face heating up. "Won't it get done faster this way?" Gray said in a 'Duh' voice.

"O-oh... right." Erza said, mentally hitting herself. Why is she such an idiot in front of that boy?

The two mages grabbed their things and headed inside, where they got their room keys and entered the elevator. Most of the elevator was occupied by Erza's luggage, being that she was sure they could get it all in one ride.

"I don't trust him." Erza said. Gray knew exactly what she meant. "Me neither, something about him…"

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. "Now to get this all out of here…" Erza mumbled. "It was _your_ idea to bring all of your luggage in one ride." Gray remarked.

"SHUT UP AND CARRY THE LUGGAGE!" The redhead yelled. Gray shivered. "O-okay… "

As the two wizards were bickering about luggage, an employee interrupted them. "Would the two of you like assistance?" Gray and Erza screamed and turned their heads to the smiling woman before them.

She had platinum blonde hair tied up into a bun and blue eyes that were so light almost looked white. And just like the door man, she had a smile plastered on her face. A too nice of a smile. Where were all of these creeps coming from?

"I could help you with your luggage if you like." The woman said, still smiling. Gray looked to her name tag. Delilah. "Um no, we're fine by ourse…" Gray would've finished his sentence but he saw Delilah was already grabbing their bags. "I insist, I _do_ work here." The blonde said, picking up their bags. "Now, which room is yours?"

"42…" Erza said, her voice trailing off as she grabbed some of her bags herself. Gray and Erza looked at each other, they didn't need words, all they needed were the looks on their faces. Delilah was creepy, she was just as odd as the doorman.

Erza opened the door and Delilah, Gray, and Erza carried the bags in. "Well, I should take my leave now." Delilah said, curtsying a bit. "I hope you two enjoy your stay!" She said, her smile never leaving her face.

Once the door was shut, the two wizards began to speak, quietly. "Something is up with those two." Gray said in a suspicious tone.

"I agree, it seems to only be the two of them though. The woman who gave us our room keys seemed completely normal." Erza said, looking down at the key in her hand. "Do you think it's Carrier?" Erza muttered. "It's definitely a possibility, I have a feeling we won't be staying here all that long." Gray replied. "Yeah…" The requip mage said, softly.

Outside of their door, Delilah stood with a wicked grin. She began walking silently down the hallway, whispering into a globe of light that she held in her own palms. "Room 42, Mason-dono. They of course have high suspicions of us. You were correct, as usual, they _are _in fact quite sharp."

A voice spoke from the white light. "Thank you Delilah, you and Randall have done well." It was the voice of Mason Carrier, deep and seductive.

"Mason-dono, if I may ask, why did you want them to have suspicions of us?" Delilah inquired. Mason-though his actions were invisible to the blonde- froze, and then let out a crooked smile. "Well, isn't it all the more fun that way?" He said with a snarky tone in his voice. "Gray Fullbuster, prepare to not die, but to be tortured by emotional entanglement." Carrier seethed, letting out a laugh.

In room 42, Gray Fullbuster slept soundly, not knowing what was to come.

CHAPTER 4 END

**DUN, DUN, DUUUUUUUN! I rewrote the ending so no flashback…. I have two other flashbacks that I know I will be putting in the story though. One good thing about taking forever to write this is that it gave me time to think about the actual storyline, the one that **_**isn't**_** romantic. I'm getting the feeling that this story is going to be very, very long. Mason Carrier is **_**finally**_** making an appearance. **

**Shoutouts, shoutouts everywhere…**

**pinkkoala213: Wasn't that sweet of Gray, now Juvia isn't mad and Gray and Erza can live happily ever after…well, at some point. We still have a little while till then.**

**Raikiri80: *blushies* Why thank you Raikiri-san! I love writing in Juvia's POV, and I have a story about her and Lisanna that I'm in the midst of writing so that will be fun. That story isn't yuri though, it's about friendship.**

**HayaaShigure-kun: I love them too, THEY'RE SO BEAUTIFUL! Sorry, my feels got out of control there…Oh and don't worry, things between Gray and Erza will get a bit more…er…**_**interesting**_**, yeah, that's the word.**

**yaahaa: *hands out* Here is your GrayZa! I'm sorry it took so long to get here…**

**theformulaofpudding: Do you need to go to Saint Fandom Hospital, they specialize in fluff removal. XD I was choking on fluff as well and I was choking on it more when I was thinking of future chapters.**

**InsigniaOfFairyTail: Thanks! I'll do that sometimes too; a story will be SO GOOD I don't even have time to fangirl over it. I made tears swell? I am proud, but you should prepare yourself…you never know if I might make something really sad at some point. I'm still messing around with the plot so, just future reference…**

**SnowKawasagi: Thanks, and yeah, most GrayZa, LyVia, or any other fandom that doesn't want Gray and Juvia together will make Gray out to be this jerk when he rejects her. Gray has a certain way with words, so I think that he would put her down softly.**

**Thank you all for reviewing! Since I feel like it…I shall tell you my other fanfic ideas! :D**

**GrayZa FanFiction: "I Remember."**

**So this idea is about Gray and Erza when they were younger, and their friendship and relationship growing as they got older. In this story I made Gray and Erza a couple when they were very young. Before Mira and Natsu and the rest were all there, they were a couple. And the only other person who knew was Cana. And throughout their childhood, as they grew up, they never **_**really**_** broke up. **

**Fanfiction with the main character Juvia (various pairings): Just a dream?**

**During the Grand Magic Games, Zeref attacks the place, right as everyone thought that it was over, there were done for, a light flashed. Next thing they knew, everyone woke up at the exact same time, all in different places. They were all in another world, **_**our**_** world. Juvia woke up in a classroom, just like many other members of the guild did. Juvia didn't want to believe it, that her life, her family, her love, **_**everything**_** was a dream. As Juvia starts to lose hope, one by one, she finds different members of Fairy Tail in her school, how did they get here? And how will they be getting back?**

**Like them? Which one do you want first? I'm gonna write both but I'm going to wait till **_**after**_** this one, the Drunk Erza one that all of you seemed to like will be more of a drabble series.**

**So the next chapter will be well…what do you think it will be? What do YOU think happened between the two of them? Tell me by review or P.M. Also, if any of you are on Tumblr, my username is 'ulianne' so check that out please? R&R Till next time! **


End file.
